Farscape Epic RPG: The Great Nebari Swindle Part2
by Chant99
Summary: Based in my RPG Universe. Rygel and Chiana are up to their old tricks again, and as usual, Berret is stuck along for the ride. This time, things don't go quite as planned. Just some more fun.
1. Forward

**THE FARSCAPE EPIC RPG UNIVERSE: NEW CHARACTERS & SETTING.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** This story, and others, were written based on the characters from my Farscape RPG group. So far I've gotten some very nice reviews here on the fan-fic stories based on the RPG characters and Farscape AU story lines, so I'll continue to post them as long as people enjoy reading them. But first I need to explain a bit about our RPG so you can follow the extra characters and the alternate Farscape universe(s) we have going.

_Further note:__ Some tweaks I have given other players' original characters are sparked only from my own imagination, based on the description given to me by their owners, and though the experience of RPG play with these players/owners. Any faults in their characters occurring in any of my stories are solely the result of my own incompetence with handling their characters… and not from the original owner/creator._

The name of the original group on Yahoo is "**Farscape Epic RPG**", but it was hijacked by a hacker and Yahoo was less than helpful with attempting to regain control, so the regular members moved to a new group that is now called: "**The Alliance Wars**" and it can also be found on Yahoo groups for those who wish to look us up.

The game is still based in an alternate Farscape universe that diverges from the shows timeline somewhere after Talyn's birth but before the Chiana/D'argo relationship.

The **Jared Berret** character here is basically the same **Shrike 457** character from the **"Fallen Angel"** series posted here, although the original meeting between Chiana and the Shrike took place in a different way in the game. Berret is eventually discovered to have been a human abducted from Earth at some point by a mysterious race of slavers who have the ability to use wormholes to travel. He ends up being sold to the Scarran Black Syndicate and because he was apparently so bothersome as a slave, he was used as an experimental subject for illegal Peacekeeper microbe enhancement technology the Syndicate obtained. Surprisingly, Berret survives the experiment where most other Sebacean subjects died immediately or lasted barely a cycle - mostly as a raving mad men or women. Which is why the Peacekeepers abandoned the project that was intended to create a breed of super soldier for their ranks. The Syndicate believes Berret to be another Sebacean, as the slavers never elaborated on where they acquired him in the first place, and oddly enough, its his rather deficient Earth human physiology that lets him adapt to the microbe augmentation and survive.

Berret is restrained under an electronic control collar locked around his neck. The microcomputer inside the collar links itself directly to its subject's nervous system to deliver instructions, enforce behavior patterns, and suppress it's wearer's personality… and in some cases, wiping that personality out totally. Berret is one of the unlucky ones; the double blows of microbe augmentation and the collar completely wipe away all of his memories and who he was before being captured. He is given the designation – Shrike Enforcer 457 – in the Black Syndicate High House of Arckatius, and for ten Earth years or cycles, he serves as a brutal assassin for the organization. Garbed in dark gunmetal armor and black cloak of the Shrike, Berret uses the strange brace blades they arm him with to leave an unknown body count behind him during his enforced service.

Freedom finally comes to him at the hands of a certain young Nebari thief… and then the real adventure begins. During his time aboard Moya, Zhaan (who is still alive in our universe) helps Berret try to recover some of his lost memory through Unity sessions. They piece enough of his fragmented memories together to learn that his first name had possibly been "Jared" (or some form of that name). Strangely, at first Chiana avoids using his supposed given name – as if doing so would be to acknowledge that Berret had a life at one time that had not included her. Over the cycles, her reluctance to use it fades as they both become more secure in their hard-won, and rather difficult at times, relationship.

Zhaan's help eventually does allow Berret to recover a few things about his past, but at a heavy price. For every positive clue revealed, a hundred darker facts about his service to the Syndicate come to light. The Unity Sessions with the Delvian slowly taper off as Berret realizes just how bloody his life as a Syndicate Enforcer had been. Chiana is the only light in his limited experience, and he grows dark and brooding, cutting himself off from most emotions, as he concludes that the Nebari girl would find his past just as horrific as he does, if she knew. Berret's sanity is balanced on a knife's edge for the first few cycles of his new life as he attempts to prepare himself for the day Chiana fully understands the secret he thinks he hides, and the in evident conclusion where they would have to part ways.

Luckily for him, Chiana is much wiser than he will let himself believe.

(The _**Jared Berret / Shrike 457**_ character belongs to **Chant99**.)

**The other new characters in this story line are original player characters.**

**Andar Murdough** - is a Sebacean teacher from a forgotten and lost colony. Andar's people have lost so much knowledge over the cycles that space flight is considered science fiction. Andar is abducted by aliens who experiment on his brain trying to increase intelligence in 'lesser' species. The project works much better then they thought, and Andar steals a shuttle and eventually finds his way to Moya. Andar becomes a sponge for any sort of knowledge and begins to go through Moya's data banks learning everything he can. He often sees machines or gadgets in his mind and will disappear for days into his workshop to build them. (The _**Andar**_ character belongs to **Murdough2000**.)

**Malika Phatan** - is a 125-year-old Delvian teenager. After spending a number of cycles as a Peacekeeper slave aboard a command carrier, she and her mother escape in a Prowler, but at the cost of the life of a young PK officer who fell in love and secretly married Malika. After a time of running and hiding, the pair run into a Syndicate Shrike and the meeting leaves young Malika with an intense hatred and distrust for the Enforcers when the assassin kills a client Malika took a job as a bodyguard for, and almost kills her and her mother in the process. Sometime after that, Malika's mother is tragically killed, leaving the girl alone. She hears a story about an escaped Leviathan with a Delvian Pa'u aboard and sets out to find the living ship with the hopes of fulfilling her mother's dream of her becoming a Pa'u. She finds Moya and Zhaan (who is alive in our game) and the older Delvian agrees to take her in. However, now there is a Shrike aboard Moya as Chiana's companion, and she is having a hard time controlling the tendencies for violence she developed during the hard life she lived on the run from the Peacekeepers. Through young, Malika is also a skilled healer and thanks to her parents, an educated student of exobiology. She sets up a small lab on one of Moya's lower tiers, mostly to hide out from having to be around Berret ... and possibly Andar. Both Andar and Malika feel an attraction to each other, but the Delvian isn't sure she wants to open her heart to another after what happened to her Peacekeeper husband. (The _**Malika**_ character belongs to **Lonegirl189**.)

**Sean Crichton** - 70 years after the disappearance of astronaut John Crichton, his descendant Sean uses John and DK's research to construct the **Wanderer Module**. In an attempt to prove that his ancestor's theories were sound, Sean repeats the slingshot effect and is also thrown halfway across the universe only with a slightly different result. The Wanderer module is somehow draw backward in time to the Farscape module's location and is expelled from a wormhole near Moya. Sean finds himself stun to be surrounded by a group of aliens and suddenly faced with a family legend. (Some early stories take place before Sean's arrival, while at the time of some later stories, Sean has used a wormhole to return to Earth, carrying advanced technology with him in an attempt to get his homeworld ready for the threats that face them. Using a device built by Andar, Sean was also shot forward to his own time, though no one has any way of knowing if the younger Crichton has made it safely.) (The _**Sean Crichton**_ character belongs to **Marspsi12**.)

**ADDITIONAL CHARACTERS & TERMS:** Created by Chant99 for the series. (Note: The crews' children appear in different stories in the **"Future Tense"** series from the ages of 4 to in their 20's.)

**Andrea (Sun Crichton):** Ages 8 & 27, oldest daughter of Aeryn Sun and John Crichton. Working now with Rygel and the alliance to form pacts with other races in the Territories, Andrea also has a secret she's keeping from her parents.

**Missy (Melissa Sun Crichton):** Ages 6 & 25, youngest daughter of Aeryn Sun and John Crichton. Wife of Jalen and mother of Terralyn

**Jalen ('Len ):** Ages 8 & 27, son of Chiana and Jared Berret. Husband of Missy Sun Crichton and father of Terralyn

**Chulee ('Lee):** Ages 6 & 25, daughter of Chiana and Jared Berret.

**Terralyn: ('Alyn)** Age 4, daughter of Missy Sun Crichton and Jalen. Granddaughter of John Crichton, Aeryn Sun, Chiana, and Jared Berret.

**Joban Rickler**: First Sergeant of the 1st Elite Hynerian Guard at Rygel's Palace on Hyneria. Father of **Tamilla** and **Nella**. A large Sebacean man and farmer from a colony back-world that was overrun by the Scarrans. After his wife was killed, Joban took his daughters and escaped, becoming a refugee until finding his way to Hyneria and a position in the Hynerian Royal Guard. During his tour of duty at the palace, Joban meets Shrike Berret and his family (in **"Future Tense"**), during a raid on the crewmate's apartments by the Nebari to recover Chiana and the secret she holds about the Nebari _**Contagion**_, the ex-farmer helps fight off the attackers to save the crew and is wounded. Sometime in the cycles afterward, Joban retires and occasionally travels aboard Moya with his new friends, helping with their cargo hauling business.

**Tamilla:** Oldest daughter of Joban Rickler and maid at Rygel's Palace. Later becomes mate to D'Argo's son, Jothee.

**Nella:** Youngest daughter of Joban Rickler. A nurse on Hyneria.

**Zhara (Mihyta Zhara):** Young Delvian acolyte of Zhaan's and a friend of Chulee's. Barely out of her teens for a Delvian at 120 cycles old, Zhara has yet to take her vows for the first level of the Delvian Seek. A pretty girl of good humor and a loyal friend to Chulee and the rest of the crew, she also carries a torch for Berret who's been alone now for over five cycles after Chiana's death (in **"Future Tense: Twilight's End")**. Besides pressure from Chulee to consider the young Delvian for a companion, Zhaan and Malika also try their best to interest the Shrike in their friend and student.

**Marai:** The master assassin once known as **Val'Cirru**_**s**_ (In **"The Grandmaster"**) The reptilian female has now been healed and rehabilitate by the Shrike **Grandmaster Shenna** and is a full Master Shrike in the **Mek-Klor-TaZ** Shrike clan and Shenna's Right-hand. Marai deeply regrets her Syndicate past and is instrumental in finally bringing Berret into the fold of the Shrike clan. Despite their past almost deadly encounter, both Marai and Berret become allies and respected friends.

**Warna Druz:** An 18-cycle-old Sebacean girl and Shrike apprentice to **Marai** in the **Mek-Klor-TaZ** clan. She travels to Earth with her teacher in search of Berret and later accompanies him on a mission. Warna is fiercely loyal to Marai, especially after both her parents have died and Marai and the Clan raised her. Warna is also a very skilled pilot.

**Mytell ('Tell):** Assistant to Nerri, former rebel leader and now Proconsul of the _**"Nebari Free States"**_ on Nebari Secondus, and Chiana's brother. Mytell is also Chulee's suitor. After seeking permission to court his superior's niece and passing uncle Ka'D'Argo's severe scrutiny, Mytell is even more daunted to finally met his beloved's father upon his return to the Territories. (In **"Future Tense: Twilight's End")**

**Lerris:** Once Nebari Ambassador to Hyneria (in "**Future Tense**") Lerris has moved up to become Chancellor of Nebari Prime. Lerris and his henchman, **Hyril**, were responsible for the attack on the crewmate's quarters 20 cycles ago and the near fatal injuring of Chiana and Berret's son, Jalen. Berret viciously killed Hyril in an act of vengeance, but reluctantly left Lerris alive at Rygel's urging. Even after 20 cycles, Berret's hatred for Nebari outside of his family still burns, especially when it comes to Lerris.

**Lyric:** A 10-cycle-old Nebari orphan that Berret discovers on a **New Syndicate** (in **"Future Tense: Twilight's End")** outpost during a raid. Berret adopts the young girl into his family (both close and extended, meaning Moya's crew and the Shrike clan) A situation which creates more tension between Berret and Lerris, after the Chancellor attempts to take custody of the Nebari waif.

**Chiana, **_**Clone of:**_ Using stolen DNA, the **New Syndicate** (in **"Future Tense: Twilight's End")** creates a clone of a teenage Chiana in an attempt to obliterate Berret before he can fulfill Shenna's wish for him to become the next Grandmaster of the Territories most powerful Shrike clan. The threat of a rogue Enforcer that once destroyed an old Syndicate High House is too great for the new organization to risk, so the clone is constructed. Born with the memories of a rebellious teen Chiana, the Syndicate leads her believe that Berret is responsible for the original Chiana's death, and trains her to become a Shrike Enforcer, who's sole purpose is to track Berret down and kill him.

**Val'Cirrus:** see _"__**Marai**__"._

**Arckatius:** The Scarran leader of the Black Syndicate House that enslaved Berret and made him a Shrike Enforcer / Assassin. Arckatius is a distant cousin of Scorpius's and is slightly demented for a Scarran, believing himself to be a "King". In **"The Grandmaster",** Arckatius sends his Master Shrike, **Val'Cirru**_**s**_ after Berret to kill him and bring back his control collar - which contains information about several operations that Berret took part in for the Black Syndicate. Berret had vowed to kill the Scarran Syndicate leader in repayment for his enslavement, and the life he feels that Arckatius has destroyed. Driven by the haunting nightmares of the lives he was forced to take as a Syndicate Enforcer, Berret felt that killing Arckatius would go some way in atoning for his "sins." He also held the Scarran responsible for what he thought at the time as his inability to love Chiana... and that the Nebari girl could never love him in return because of the things he had done in his Syndicate past. Arckatius met his end somewhere in the events that take place in the story **"I, Assassin."** (Also a currently on-going story line.)

**Grandmaster Zear Shenna:** The leader of the mysterious Shrike Clan of Assassin Warriors of legend. A Delvian man well over 1600 cycles old, Shenna sometimes appeared when Berret or the crew found themselves needing help. For some reason Shenna has a mysterious interest in Berret and is somehow able to keep track of him and the crew no matter where they traveled in the Territories. The crew isn't sure what his agenda is, but so far he seems to genuinely have the group's best interest in heart. Grandmaster Shenna revealed some of the true history of the Shrike Clans to Berret and Chiana in **"The Grandmaster"**, where they learned that the Syndicate 'borrowed' the term 'Shrikes' for their assassin Enforcers... playing off the old legends of the ancient warrior / assassin / soldiers to increase the fearsome reputation of their killers. Shenna appears to be a kindly old man with a tendency to dolt randomly at times, but in reality he is a cunning shrewd manipulator of those around him… luckily mostly for their own good.

**Magda:** One of the Scarran leaders of the New Syndicate. May have been responsible for creating and training the Enforcer **Chiana clone**.

**Kessca:** a young Skykarian female Shrike and friend of Warna. Member of a Shrike clan strike team.

**Ardenin Reese:** Sebacean **First Shrike** (unit leader) of a clan strike team.

**Tamos Hunter:** young Sebacean male Shrike. Youngest member of a clan strike team.

**Tonk:** Simterrian Shrike member of a clan strike team. Simterrians are large apelike beings that resemble a Wookie on steroids. Easily twice the mass of a Luxan, the Simterrians usually serve as the heavy weapons unit of a strike team. Their battle armor often includes shoulder-mounted weapons such as missile pods or light pulse cannon.

**Hark:** Simterrian Shrike member of a clan strike team. Like all Simterrians, Hark rarely speaks unless he has something important to say, and when he or Tonk do speak, it's wise to listen to what they have to say. Fiercely loyal and courageous, there are few better fighters to have on your side.

**Lark:** Street name of a Nebari prostitute that Berret forces to help him in his plans to kill **Arckatiu**_**s**_ in **"I, Assassin."**

**Nireese:** a Sebacean / Nebari half-breed First Shrike in the **Mek-Klor-TaZ Clan**. **Master Shenna** sends her to help Chiana and the crew of Moya find Berret after he goes after **Arckatius** in **"I. Assassin".** Her younger brother was killed when the Scarrans annexed her home world.

**Shrike 568:** Chiana in an alternate reality in **The Dream Crystal** Series story **"The Genesis Throw".**

**Master Shrike – Black Syndicate:**Within the Black Syndicate a Master Shrike is a skilled assassin serving their Syndicate House of their own free will – as opposed to a Shrike under a control collar who is a slave. Syndicate Master Shrikes are often distinguished by their armor and weapons, which are of a better quality. Their cloaks often have trimming of some color – depending on the House or personal taste. A dark blood-red is often a favorite color for its symbolism. Of course, Syndicate Master Shrikes do not wear control collars.

**Master Shrike – Shrike Clans:** Within the traditional ancient Shrike clans, Master Shrike is the title given to agents with many cycles of experience. They are often teachers and mission leaders in the field – outranking **First Shrikes **and common Shrike Agents, and outranked only by the clan** Grandmaster**. Master Shrikes commonly cross teach whatever skills they excel at to apprentices as a whole, but they also take on apprentices as close personal students, who often double as personal assistants of a sort. While the Grandmaster is the head of the clan, it's the Master Shrikes' lineages that are recorded on the Clan's Rolls. (An ancient scroll listing all clan members and the lines they've passed through. While there is an actual scroll sometimes brought out for ceremonies and important political events, its doubtful that all of the Clan's entire history can be held on one scroll. Most likely there are a number of older scrolls stored somewhere safe, or the record actually resides in a large tome or even a computer database known only to the current **Grandmaster**) A Master Shrike has the right to "recruit" or otherwise bring in new students that they feel have a talent to contribute to the Clan as a whole. If that Master Shrike is not available to take the potential student on at the time, they may requested that another Master Shrike accept the student as a apprentice, and that Master Shrike adds the student on under their lineage. A Master Shrike may have any number of First Shrikes, Shrike Agents, and/or Apprentices under their lineage at any time. Once a **First Shrike** reaches the rank of Master Shrike, they start their own lineage on the Clan Rolls. It's considered something of a great honor to have the Grandmaster him or herself record an Apprentice's name to the Roll under a Master Shrike's lineage.

**First Shrike:** the unit leader of a Clan Strike Team, or can be a more experienced solo field agent. A First Shrike can be in charge of a number of common Shrike agents but generally do not have the experience yet to teach agents or apprentices on a wide scale. **Master Shrikes** and the clan **Grandmaster** outrank them.

**Shrike Triad:** A Black Syndicate term only, referring to a trio of collared Shrike Enforcers programmed to work together under the direction of a Syndicate **Master Shrike**. Commonly this arrangement is an assassination team for high-priority targets. Most Luxan eradications require the use of a Shrike Triad to accomplish successfully, which is one of the reasons Luxan warriors hate Shrike Enforcers so much, as they view the practice as dishonorable. The Shrike Clans do not use this term at all; instead, any operational group of three or more Shrike agents is referred to as a "Strike Team".

**Strike Team – Shrike Clans:** A Clan designation only, meaning a group of three or more Shrike agents that commonly work together as a team on a regular basis. Or a specialized group gathered together briefly for a special operation. One **First Shrike** as leader always heads the team, but occasionally in some cases a **Master Shrike** will accompany a Strike Team as overall commander.

"**THE CHAINS OF FATE" SERIES NEW CHARACTERS & TERMS** Alternate AU to the show & my normal RPG group stories. Some of these characters may crossover into other AU storylines such as the "Dream Crystal" line.

**Sinn:** Berret's most commonly used alias. Also the named he used as a masked pit-fighter.

**Tessen Korr:** the alias Berret takes while working as a mercenary scout. It is also similar to a Scarran phrase _**-**__**' tes Zen Caor'**__** -**_ meaning, "Nobody, insignificant person, or non-entity".

**Istrish:** Female Sykaran Shrike freed by Berret who becomes part of a rebel army of ex-Enforcers. She helps rescue D'argo and nurse him back to health in the **"The Chains Of Fate"** AU version of the Peacekeeper Wars. She also appears in several other AU & RPG stories, along with a number of the other freed Shrike Enforcers. Istrish is reputed to be the first collared Shrike that Berret himself frees from Syndicate Slavery.

**Marktaal:** A male Sykaran Shrike freed by Berret who becomes part of a rebel army of ex-Enforcers.

**Horgo:** A male Vorcarian Blood-Tracker Shrike who is part of a rebel army of ex-Enforcers.

**Vennic:** a male Szalned Shrike. Szalneds are approximately seven earth feet tall with four arms. Vennic is also part of the rebel Shrike army.

**Jaleecee ('Leecee):** a sixteen-cycle-old girl, half-Sebacean / half-Nebari, who works as a serving girl in the military camp where Tessen Korr acts as a mercenary scout. She is from a well-to-do family and is considered a proper lady, despite being a half-breed. However, her parents are killed in some conflict, and her and her older brother flee their home world, only to end up as camp help on a planet in the midst of a civil war. She also takes side-work caring for Korr's living quarters.

**Kenrikk ('Rikk):** Jaleecee's older brother. He is not happy with his younger sister's working arrangement with the Korr, and has had several altercations with him over dishonorable rumors spreading through the camp.

**Haze:** Young Corporal in the regular military forces fighting the civil war.

**Acrooks:** Another young Corporal in the regular military forces fighting the civil war.

**Satuur:** An older Private in the regular army. Most people feel him to be untrustworthy for some reason they can't quite put their finger on.

**Raydoon:** A thief acquaintance of Chiana's

**Saifee Madden:** Boss of a local criminal gang that Chiana seeks employment from.

**KiEel Ry'Balton:** Second in command of **Saifree Madden's** crime ring.

**Stolie:** Strong arm man for **Saifee Madden**. There is bad blood between him and Chiana.

**Clivea Brendal:** **Saifree Madden's** biggest rival in the gambling and prostitution gambits, and also the chief prosecutor of that world's justice system. Also running to be elected Regional Governor.

**Pa'Looua Leaf:** One of many common names for a natural neural depressant found through out the Charted and Uncharted Territories. The roots and leaves can be chewed, brewed into a tea, or condensed for use in other medications. Berret learns of the herb from Noranti in **"Take From Me, My Shattered Soul" **and finds it helps quiet the specter of the Scarran control collar left inside his mind which is progressively driving him deeper into madness. However, over time the effects are weakening even as Berret increases the dosage. In it rare form, Pa'Looua Leaf is used to claim nervous herd beasts on some planets.

**Chroot stick :** Something like a cigarette.

**Sniper Rifle:** As the name suggests, a pulse rifle built for extreme accuracy over long ranges. As opposed to a standard Peacekeeper rifle, the pulse sniper rifle has a longer barrel which fires a concentrated pulse bolt about the diameter of an adult's little finger. The stock is also slightly larger for comfortably bracing the weapon off the shooter's shoulder and it has a powerful optic sight that can be linked directly to the helmet visor of a Shrike's Enforcer armor. The fore-stock of the weapon also has a built in bipod. Berret has one of these that was supplied with the **Wraith Scout Ship** he stole from Arckatius's stronghold in his escape.

**SOME ORGANIZATIONS & GROUPS IN THE STORIES**

**Mek-Klor-TaZ Clan:** The true name for the Shrike sec that **Grandmaster Shenna** leads. This branch of Shrikes has served the Hynerian throne and Rygel's family for many generations. A pact of secrecy, support, and service as existed between the two organizations and is so strong that it is one of the few things Rygel would never think of betraying. The Dominar never reveals his knowledge all the long cycles aboard Moya to Berret, though he keeps an eye on the ex-Enforcer at Shenna's request.

**Scarran Black Syndicate:** (The Syndicate, Black Syndicate) Criminal organization that has it origins dating back to early Scarran culture. In modern times the membership is no longer restricted to only Scarrans, though the head of each family, known as "Houses" is typically a Scarran. The organization is technically outlawed and considered an enemy of the state by the Scarran Imperium, but the government is not above using the Syndicate as a resource if the situation warrants it. The Black Syndicate also has strong ties into other cultures and worlds and rumor has even into the highest ranks of Peacekeeper Command. All is not always peaceful inside the Syndicate as well. The hierarchy is divided into "High" and "Lower" Houses, each with their own territories, free agents, and preferred illegal operations. There are often violent and bloody feuds between various Houses over one thing or another. Each Syndicate House employs Enforcers or Assassins they call Shrikes, after mythic warriors of legend. Rumor has it that about 1000 cycles ago, a Syndicate House stumbled across one of the scattered real Shrike clans or schools. After enslaving the survivors they forced them to reveal some of their secrets and used them to re-create the Shrikes as a weapon for Syndicate use. Using controlled slaves or free-willed murderers garbed in a version of Shrike battle armor and cloaks, the Black Syndicate wrote a bloody name for itself through the next 1000 cycles of history on the edge of brace blades made from a rare element that could shear through some metals, as well as flesh, as if it were paper.

**New Syndicate:** The organization that is attempting to arise from the ashes of the **Scarran Black Syndicate** some cycles after its collapse. The new criminal order was formed mainly of old Black Syndicate survivors and some former Peacekeepers that found a life of crime was more profitable than continued service to a dying military branch, along with some of society's dregs from other species.

**Nebari Free States:** (also referred to as the **NFS** for short.) The new free world created by Chiana's brother Nerri and his rebel fighters, where Nebari who have fled the Establishment on Nebari Prime can live freely without the fear of mental cleansing, or under the Establishment's oppressive rule. The world that they have settled has been renamed, **Nebari Secondus** – much to the annoyance of the rules of Nebari Prime. The Establishment does its best to reabsorb the rebels, but they also have secret military bases that they can retreat to or attack from if needed. This leaves them in pretty much a stalemate, until Rygel the Sixteenth forces them to come to an unsteady truce for the shake of the New Alliance.

**Nebari Secondus:** The world settled just outside Hynerian space by Nebari rebels and refugees. See **Nebari Free States**.

**MORE TERMS**

**Nebari Bonding:** The Nebari form of marriage. Life partners exchange vows before priest or other spiritual leader, at the end of which their witnesses pierce their left ears with matching earrings. Bonding is the one single aspect of Nebari culture that Chiana would not joyfully go out of her way to scoff at or disrespect.

**Nebari Bonding Earrings:** Used just like Erp humans use wedding rings to denote a bonding. There are many different variations, but they look something similar to Erp's Celtic Trinity Knot.

**Nebari – Cheek Rubbing Ritual:** Nebari by nature are highly sensual before mental conditioning. Kissing and sexual intimacy are often casual play for those who have escaped the Establishment before Mental Cleansing. Nebari constantly touching another person cheek-to-cheek is a form of body language to let the other person know they are special to them… and not just another casual frell.

**Nebari Nicknames:** The nicknames of 'Len & 'Lee for Chiana and Berret's children, stem from a Nebari custom I invented for the stories where close friends and family members used a shortened version of a person's name as a sign of a close or intimate relationship. Thus Jalen and Chulee are sometimes referred to as 'Len and 'Lee by their parents and other members of the crew. Chiana sometimes calls Berret - 'Ret, while Chiana is called 'Ana by her brother when they meet. Nerri's name is not shortened in the story but would probably be something like 'Ri if it was. The ( ' ) is suppose to indicate a slight Nebari accent on the name. I leave that up to the reader to imagine exactly how that would sound to them.

**Shella-tai: **Nebari term of endearment. Usually spoken from parent to child, but can often be used by one person in speaking to another person who is significantly younger than the speaker to indicate fondness for them.

**Shella-Madai:** Nebari term of endearment from child to adult who is not a parent, but whom they are fond of, or respect. Similar to an Earth child calling a close family friend "Aunt" or "Uncle" even though there is to blood or marriage ties to the family. Use of the term often dies away as Nebari children enter the annoying teenage cycles.

**SaiDa** – Nebari word for father, dad, or daddy.

**SaiNa** – Nebari word for mother, mom, or mommy.

"**Shi'mo Bak Ko, Shi mo Ko Die":** Luxan curse phrase that's better off not being translated in polite company.

"**Luk ki VaIsh":** Luxan curse that is loosely comparable to saying, "Damn it!" "Frell me!" and "Screw it all to hell!" all rolled into one.

"**Klaz-kik',":** Scarran derogatory term meaning, "half-breed".

"**Makva cUuz J'cot!":** High Scarran words phrased in a insult. Meaning to use a certain appendage to go fornicate with one's self.

**BAT' RELLITE:** The Scarran term for a rare alloy used primarily to make the blades of a Shrikes brace weapons. The molecules of the metal are arranged in layers that vibrate in opposite directions from each other, creating a "saw-like" effect on the molecular level. Thus blades made from this element never need to be sharpened and can easily cut through lesser grades of metals – with the exception of Qualta. Qualta is denser and has a refracting quality that blocks Bat'Rellite's molecular cutting effect. This quality in Qualta is one reason why Luxan make their weapons, particularly the Qualta Sword, out of it. Weapons constructed of this material would most likely never blow up from accidental over-charging and remain serviceable for hundreds of cycles. The armor of Shrike Enforcers from High Syndicate Houses often have Qualta inlays to help defeat attacks by other Shrikes, as there is often in-fighting among the Houses for power and territory.

**Wraith Scout Ship:** A three man scout craft larger than a Prowler but smaller than a Marauder or Transport Pod. Used by Peacekeepers mainly as covert surveillance vessel, it is equipped with a stealth system that renders it invisible to most scans and detection networks, but not to line of physical sight. The large wings tilt upwards for landing and deploy lighter sections of "sensor sails" for its high-gain scanning equipment and systems. The ship's profile somewhat resembles an Earth-like bird of prey. The Wraith has a fairly advanced Artificial Intelligence computer, or A.I., for a brain to run all its stealth and covert scanning systems. It is standardly armed with a drop-down missile system in its belly, put can also be outfitted with slow-fire pulse cannon in its nose section, but that requires more space-taking equipment so the option is rarely used among PK forces. The slightly larger duel engines on the Wraith will eventually outrun a Prowler on the straightaway, but would not compete with the Prowler for maneuverability in a dogfight or planet's atmosphere. The craft is normally painted a flat-black, and likewise any Peacekeeper fleet insignia are of a darker color to blend in. The more wealthier Syndicate Houses have managed to acquire a few of the ships, to spy on other Houses, but mainly to have a stealthy way of getting their agents in and out of places they don't wish to be seen entering or leaving. Syndicate Wraiths have no PK insignia on closer inspection, which makes them suspicious to the observant spaceport personnel. The Wraith that Berret stole was first refitted once aboard Moya, using stored spare parts, with a pair of 'electric guns' each consisting of three smaller Prowler pulse cannon that rotate at high speed inside the slow-fire cannon ports of the Wraith. The result is a weapon system that gives a high rate of fire that does not burn the barrels out. The design originated from the need to find a way to fit spare armament that was on hand into a port designed for a much larger and more powerful weapon. John commented that Berret had in fact, "recreated the old Vulcan machinegun" in a way. The main draw back of this system is that targeting is limited, and the craft has to be very nearly pointed at what it's attacking to be effective. The next refit was designed and implemented mostly by Aeryn Sun, who replaced the existing drop-down missile pod with a turret that swiveled a complete 360 degrees. Prior to this, missiles targeted at something behind the Wraith had to be programmed to leave the pod and run out in front of the ship for some distance, then turn and fly back to engage the target at the rear. A practice that Chiana turned out to be very talented at – much to Berret's growing collection of new gray hair – but also wasted time and the missile's fuel. The missile pod and then the turret could be stocked with a various number or combination of missile types, but the crew was limited to whatever they could scrounge up, trade or barter for, or steal. Keeping track of ship's weapons stock was sometimes difficult as Aeryn was constantly moving armament around between the Wraith and two Prowlers as it was needed or used up. The A.I. also has the capability to trace a small tracking device if it gets to a certain point near the edge of its range and follow it. The option is risky, as the A.I. if left to fly and navigate on its own can be a safety hazard to other ships inside the close parking orbit of a busy commerce planet. (The **Wraith Scout Ship** was created, designed, and belongs to **Chant99**.)

**Wanderer Module:** Sean Crichton's experimental craft. It can be describe as a slightly larger version of the Farscape Module, but with technology about 70 years more advanced. (The _**Wanderer Module**_ was created and belongs to **Marspsi12**.)

**Leviticus System:** Section of space where a stable wormhole to Earth was discovered. Andar Murdough built a device that slung Sean Crichton and the **Wanderer Module** forward to his own time, along with a store of Peacekeeper technology to help Earth prepare for what the Territories had in store for it. Berret later used the wormhole to travel to Earth in the **Wraith** after Chiana's death. Marai and Warna later used the wormhole to bring him back.

**THE "FUTURE TENSE" CHRONICLE:**

The Events from "Future Tense":

This story takes place approximately 11 cycles after the show's timeframe and my RPG game. At this time it has been already discovered that Berret is a human that had been abducted by alien slavers and sold to the Scarran Black Syndicate as a slave. Being a human is what had allowed Berret to survive the implantation of the experimental microbes that normally killed the average Sebacean. The microbes alter Berret's physiology to the point where he can no longer be considered an Earth human and in the beginning he feels no connection to John or Sean as being a member of the same species. Unlike the two Crichtons, he has no desire to return to Earth, as he would no longer fit in even if he could remember all of his past on his homeworld. Sometime during his time aboard Moya, Zhaan (who is alive, as well as Crais and Talyn in this universe.) helps him retrieve some memories from his past, one of which is his first name - Jared.

At John insistence that humans generally have two names, Berret adopts the name Jared Berret. While John sometimes refers to Berret as J.B., Chiana on the other hand often ignores or refuses to use the name Jared in the beginning. As she starts to realize she had feelings for the ex-assassin beyond their relationship as friends and crewmates, she finds she's strangely reluctant to acknowledge anything that was part of Berret's life before their meeting and sticks to the name Berret which she had given him. As time goes on and the pair go through various trials and adventures and are Bonded (Nebari version of marriage) the reluctance fades and she's comfortable using his first name, only falling back on the name Berret in times of severe stress or trouble.

The Events in "Future Tense: Broken Mirror":

The story picks up approximately a quarter cycle after the events in "Future Tense". The crew has decided to pick up their cargo hauling business when Jalen has recovered enough from his injuries despite the growing war between the Peacekeepers and the Scarrans. On a supply run, an accident resulting from the use of a new Scarran weapon transports Zhaan and Berret into an alternate reality - and eleven cycles into the past.

Needless to say, the reality they end up in is the one from the show. This was written during the Chiana / D'argo relationship but before the arrival of Jothee or the death of Zhaan. This story is still ongoing and is nowhere near finished yet. It may take some time to do so as I have several other stories also in the works - so please be patient with me.

The Events in "Future Tense: Twilight's End":

Twenty cycles have passed since the events in "Broken Mirror." Chiana has passed away due to a strange illness, leaving her children, Berret, and the rest of the crew to go on without her. Berret has discovered that the microbes the Syndicate infected him with are not allowing him to age normally, well into his sixties, Berret still appears to be a man in his mid 30's. Growing no closer to old age and a time of rest, and feeling the loss of his beloved Bond-mate, Berret decided to leave Moya and return to Earth to explore his past. Time passes for Berret until Rygel and Shenna sent a plea for him to return to the Territories to help them face a growing menace that threatens them all. Berret returns to take part in one final conflict for control of the Territories - and the everlasting safety of his family and friends.

This story is also on-going and already has well over a 100 pages written and it's maybe half done. Unfortunately I jump around quite a bit when I write so this story is in sections that need more parts written yet to join them together.

The Dream Crystal Series: Synopsis 

Trying to make a long explanation short, but this is a story line that can only be fleshed out over time … The Dream Crystal is an artifact of some elder race that has the ability to fracture or alter space and time. Unfortunately, somewhere along the line it has been broken into five different pieces. The resulting fragments are disbursed throughout the universe causing some chaos… such as alternate events and realities – much like messing with a wormhole. One can easily mistake a crystal for a virtual game that shows you alternate lives and events in a story-like fashion. The bad thing is using one too often or incorrectly cannot only cause a split from the current timeline but also create a false echo of that crystal in the new timeline. Each time a crystal fragment is split, the resulting echo crystal becomes more increasingly unstable, and the timelines degrade into a more grim and dangerous existence.

The show timeline is the result of one of the original five pieces of Crystal. My RPG is the result of another original piece of the five. The other three original realities have yet to be seen or discovered which ones they are. (And actually, they may not really be important anyway for our purpose) Somewhere along the line, Chiana comes into possession of a Dream Crystal, though we're not really sure yet if its one of the original shards, or an echo at this point. Believing it's simply a new game, Chiana experiments with it and a number of different reality storylines result, some timelines not so bad, some turning the lives of Moya's crew upside-down in not so pleasant ways.

Eventually, reality will become so damage and fragmented that alternate universes will collide and blend disastrously as time unravels. Zhaan's Goddess will have to step in, in a bid to reunited the original five crystal shards and set the universe back on its proper course. Unable to interact with the physical realm herself, she calls upon a Berret that has not only been dead for 700 cycles in the original timeline, but who has also been alive for the past 700 cycles at the same time in another reality. She arms him with the memories of all his possible lives, and sends him searching through key alternative realities for the original five pieces and at the same time destroying the false echoes to delete their effects on natural reality. Craving only to return to the afterlife to rest with his love, Chiana, and their children and friends… Berret is tormented as he travels through alternate universes becoming different versions of himself, sometime finding the friends he'd once known as allies, sometimes as enemies… and sometimes missing all together. Unfortunately, its more often than not, these old friends are the key to his success or failure. Success being the final return to rest with his loved ones, failure meaning the total destruction of everything that ever was.

So you now might have an idea of how all these Farscape Alternate Universes might be linked in some ways.

And Now - 

Also of course, the above cast of characters and list of new terms is subject to change and/or additions as characters and things become more or less important in each story line. I deal mostly in my RPG Universe, dipping only occasionally into the _**Farscape**_ show Universe before a certain point or points. Sometimes the RPG Universe will take a turn into my **"Fallen Angel"**, **"Shattered Soul / Chains Of Fate"**, or **"Dream Crystal"** series (Nasty business I think some of the Dream Crystal series will turn out to be.) But I will attempt to keep the new terms and character reference updated as best I can… or remember to do.

As always, I have several storylines going, and go back and forth to keep from getting bored and the story from getting too stale. So it may sit for a while, while I give it a rest and work on something else. I feel its better for the story in the long run instead of forcing ideas to come just to finish it up. Besides… it all really boils down to what story Chiana, Berret, and the crew feel like whispering to me at any given moment… and sometimes they like to keep me hanging too.

Some stories are meant to be the end of the adventure, and maybe the beginning of something else. After all, even Captain Kirk died in the end so that the story and the adventure could live on elsewhere. But then again... does anyone really die in Sci-fi?

Thanks for bearing with me through this long explanation. I truly also apologize for the layout of my last few stories, I have yet to figure out how to get the format from MS Word to transfer right to the site, but it still doesn't work right for me.

I truly hope you enjoy the story.

Chant99


	2. Chapter 1

**The Great Nebari Swindle: Part II**

"**Gray Girl Rising"**

By Chant99

Berret crossed his arms across his armored chest and let his frown deepen.

"I do not like this," he announced.

Besides him, Rygel stopped cheering for the moment.

"You never like anything fun, so what else is different?" the Hynerian asked.

"I like this even less than the last slave scheme the two of you came up with," the Shrike added.

Rygel scowled back up at him. "Deal with it! I'm sick of listening to you complain," the smaller being said from his Hoverthrone. He then turned back to look at the spectacle before him and started to cheer again.

The Shrike debated signaling his displeasure to the displaced Dominar by a quick stinging blow to the back of his head, but concluded that such would be a waste of this his time and effort… at least for the moment.

He turned back to watch what Rygel was watching.

They were in the front row of a crowed arena, just in front of a ring that was mostly surrounded by loose netting. Inside the ring, two female contenders fought in what was supposed to be a match, limited by rules to only specified techniques involving simple punches, kicks, and grappling.

However to the ex-Enforcer, the rules seemed to be enforced rather loosely… or not at all, much to the crowd's delight.

"This is not a wise idea," he said again despite himself.

"Shut up," barked the Hynerian ruler, "Can't you see… OH YOTZ! Now look what you did, nik-nik! I missed the end of the bout. Trat! The impressive female I wagered on lost!" he add in a tone tinted with disbelief.

"Of course she did," Berret replied. "Her stance was faulty for most of the match, and her defenses were weak on her left side. It was only a matter of time before her opponent surmised her faults and she was defeated. I realized that within the first ten microts of the first round."

"You saw that and you didn't tell me?" Rygel cried.

"You did not ask."

The Dominar groaned. "You farble-head! I could have adjusted my wager during the fight and at least made a few credits. Can you do that again?" he asked.

"Probably."

"Good!" Rygel said with new brightness. "Then you'll give me tips on the next few fights and I'll make my money back."

"No," Berret told him.

"No? Why the frell not, you backstabbing son of a Jaelmoonian tralk?" Rygel nearly bellowed.

The Shrike tilted his head as if to say the reason should be more than obvious with that last comment on Rygel's part.

"C'Araller's eema… have it your way then," the Hynerian grumbled. "I was going to split my winnings with you too."

Berret re-shifted his folded arms slightly and raised one disbelieving eyebrow.

"You never intended to share anything," the ex-assassin said bluntly. "Just be content that our seating was moved to the front because the promoters believe we are on Syndicate business."

Rygel snorted. "At least you and that tin suit of yours did some good."

Berret frowned again, and then decided there was no point in matching wits with the Hynerian. He knew he would accomplish more by simply banging his head against one of Moya's bulkheads.

The announcer attracted his attention as he announced the next pair of fighters that were now entering the ring. One was a local favorite, judging by the positive applause of the spectators.

The other was Chiana.

The crowd gave the Nebari girl more boos than her opponent, but that was to be expected as the challenger. The gray girl smiled out at the throng anyway, and gave them a cheery wave. Their crewmate went to her corner, where she unbelted the tan robe she was wearing and let it slide to the ring mat.

Underneath, Chiana was wearing tight fitting fighting leathers, the same tan color as her robe. The crowd's boos turned to whistles of appreciation from most of the males in the audience… and a few of the females. The garb left her arms, shoulders and mid-riff exposed, and the pants clung tightly to her hips and legs.

Elastic panels placed strategically around her legs, and especially the knee area of her garb, gave her free range of movement and motion, while the tougher leather sections provide some form of protection. Light flexible shoes that came halfway up her calves, and designed for the ring competitor, completed her sport outfit.

Chiana revealed in the attention and smiled brightly at the mass of people watching. Berret stole a glance at Chiana's opponent, and plainly saw the other woman wasn't pleased at all with the reaction the pretty Nebari was getting from what she probably consider her personal home audience.

And being the other fighter was head and shoulders taller then the gray thief, and about thirty sacmar heavier if he were any judge… he concluded that his smaller friend might be heading for trouble.

"This is bad," he said out loud.

"Shut up," Rygel told him again.

"Do you want to know my prediction for this bout?" Berret asked. Hoping that after the Hynerian heard his hypothesis, that he would exercise his purgative as Chiana's manager and get her out of the ring before the other woman hurt her.

"No," Rygel said stubbornly. "I already know how this one will end."

"What…?" Berret asked in mystification.

Before he could ask anything more, the gong sounded and both Chiana and the other woman stalked their way toward the center of the mats.

Chiana danced on the balls of her feet out to meet her opponent in the center of the ring. Custom said that both contestants were supposed to briefly touch palms in a gesture of sportsmanship. However, when the Nebari held hers up, the other woman thrust her palm into the gray girl's chest in a hard shove. Chiana staggered back a step or two but caught her balance easily in that graceful Nebari way she had. The crowd murmured excitedly at the other fighter's contempt of the tradition, and Chiana merely gave her a smile that plainly said, _"Okay, if that's the way you want to play."_

The gray woman then held her hands up in a defensive posture and the two combatants began to circle each other. Neither woman wore any form of protective gloves; instead their hands were wrapped in tight leather-like bandages that left all their fingers free to grasp.

"Not good," Berret muttered to himself, the sound level from the audience had grown boisterously enough that Rygel couldn't hear him now.

The other woman made use of her slightly longer reach with probing jabs at Chiana in the first few microts of the round, attempting to test the smaller girl's defenses. Chiana had been busy also in her own way while her opponent probed for a weakness. After the third test jab, the Nebari had gauged the other woman's distance and reach, and on the forth jab, Chiana responded by slapping the woman on the back of the hand she had jabbed with.

Nebari musculature was just as spring-like as some of their bones, and Chiana's hands were blinding quick… and could deliver a stinging slap if she wanted too.

The bigger woman looked annoyed at the contact, and then jabbed with a one-two combination at Chiana's chin. Chiana bobbed and weaved; then again dealt a slap to the first hand, and two more on the second hand before the woman could pull it back in.

The sound of flesh swatting flesh was plainly heard even above the crowd this time. The woman continued circling the smaller gray female, but now she was shaking her hands out. Chiana gave her opponent a grin that was almost a sneer; the Nebari had given her a nearly full-power demonstration of her whip-like abilities on the last round.

"What the yotz is she doing?" Rygel asked in puzzlement.

"Making her mad," was all the Shrike replied with growing worry.

Rygel's eyebrows rose as if suddenly enlightened. "Ah yes! I see now, putting on a show… smart girl," the Hynerian rambled.

The other fighter clenched her fist once more and this time came barreling straight in at Chiana. The jab again came in and the Nebari girl went to meet it with her usually counter attack.

"No…" Berret found himself saying. Too late… the Nebari's larger opponent faked with the jab once more, and this time sent a front straight kick up into Chiana's stomach. The thief buckled at the waist as the wind was knocked out of her, so she didn't see the arching full-hand slap that blasted into the side of her face and sent her spinning to the mat.

The ex-assassin winched at the sight in sympathy. The Hynerian at his side had a totally different feeling.

"Yes, that's much better!" he shouted.

"What?" Berret demanded as he turned to look down at him, not believing what he'd heard. Chiana had been knocked down, why the hezmana would Rygel be pleased about that?

"Be quiet and let me concentrate," was all the Dominar spared him as an answer.

In the ring, Chiana was pushing herself back to her feet while her bigger rival circled. The more experienced woman seemingly deciding to allow her the time to regain her feet instead of moving in for the kill just then. The Nebari shook her head a few times, and then brought her hands up again to protect herself as she edged back in toward her opponent.

The crowd was roaring its approval, which seemed to make the other woman happy. She brought her own hands up and danced in to meet Chiana near the center of the mat.

The pair again circled around each other, both testing for a weakness. A few minor blows were traded but neither woman landed much in the way of a solid one. Berret found himself picking apart the other woman's defenses and saw several opening he would have exploited in an opponent… even though doing so would have meant using techniques that were forbidden in the matches. He had to stop himself from shouting out directions to Chiana on using them, unlike the spectators, who were more than happy to offer advice on illegal moves.

Fighting with rules was not only pointless as far as the ex-Enforcer was concerned – it was complicated!

Suddenly the other woman broke the timing in her footwork to throw a hard punch, but she did it sloppily. Chiana saw it coming and she stepped in with a technique he recognized as one that Crichton had taught to her. It was something called a "haymaker."

Berret categorized it as a wide roundhouse punch thrown with all of one's weight behind it. Not very tactical from a recovery standpoint should one miss with the blow, but devastating if one does in fact connect with it to a soft target.

And connect Chiana did.

Her small fist impacted the side of the other woman's jaw, just as she perfectly dropped her weight into the punch. The other contender was driven to her knees in an instant.

The audience exploded with cheers, and Berret found himself swept up in the moment and discovered he was yelling for his friend too.

Besides him, Rygel's eyes became big as serving platters.

"What the pleebig does she think she's doing now?" the Hynerian growled.

"Winning!" Berret replied almost happily. He was beginning to consider that maybe the scheme his shipmates had come up with was perhaps one of their better ones. If Chiana could land a few more strikes like that against her adversary, it was possible they could get out of there without the little Nebari being injured too badly.

Just as soon as he had the thought, matters shifted as the other woman suddenly reached out and grabbed Chiana's forward foot just behind the heel and slightly below the ankle. She jerked hard upward and the Nebari was set off balance, going over backwards as the other fighter push herself up off the mat.

Chiana recovered enough from the upset to go with it, letting herself fall backwards. Her trapped ankle was jerked free as she hit the padded floor and she instantly threw her legs and hips upward and back over her left shoulder. The momentum of her lower body carried the upper portion with it, and she back rolled nearly to her feet again.

The other woman wasn't about to give the gray girl a chance to fully regain her feet. As soon as she realized Chiana was attempting to roll out of the toss, she charged in – bent on finishing the smaller ring-fighter before she could get back on her feet.

Whether it was instincts or experience, Chiana did the unexpected and stayed kneeling down. The other woman barreled in, having assumed the Nebari would be halfway to her feet by then. Instead, she felt Chiana seize her arm at the elbow joint and ram her hand into her hip on the same side. The smaller Nebari pulled downward on the elbow and pushed upward at the hips, both at the same time.

The heavier opponent's weight and impetus did the rest as she sailed over Chiana in a perfect combat throw typically programmed into Syndicate Enforcers.

The crowd grew silent, as it appeared that the small gray girl physically picked the larger woman up and threw her halfway across the mats. She hit with a hard thud that shook the ring.

"Blast!" Rygel yelled, his frogeyes opened wide, he turned to look angrily at the Shrike beside him. "You taught her that, didn't you!" he said accusingly.

"Yes," Berret replied somewhat mystified. "I have taught her many things," he then affirmed.

"Yotz! And she'll probably show-off and try them all!" the Dominar grumped.

"That move was not technically illegal," said the ex-assassin, "She is winning again. Why are you so…"

LOOK!" Rygel interrupted. "The ring official has sent Chiana back to her corner while he's checking on her adversary. I hope he doesn't end the bout now! Come on, you lumbering Toxcill – get up!" he shouted at the down woman. "Are you going to that slip of monochrome tralk-bait beat you?"

"What the frell are you doing?" Berret demanded. "If she stays down, Chiana wins! Why the hezmana do you want her to get back up?"

"Because I don't want Chiana to win, Phot-brain… that's why!" Rygel finally told him.

Berret had at this point had enough of partial answers, and grabbed the Hynerian by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up to eye-level.

"Why the hell not?" the Shrike demanded again. The Dominar had not been playing close enough attention to the ex-Enforcer's all too fluid mood swings. He swallowed hard as the fact that Berret had used one of Crichton's odd swear words registered on him. He'd noticed that the Shrike normal only did that when he was becoming extra annoyed by something.

"Because we arranged that she would lose this fight," the small Hynerian confessed in a low voice.

"We?" Berret prompted, preparing to throttle Rygel if he'd collaborated with some outsider against Chiana.

"Chiana and I! We did!" Rygel filled in.

Berret look of growing anger dropped instantly, to be replaced a look of stunned dread.

"You both rigged the fight?" he asked in near disbelief. They had failed to mention that part when they approached him with the new great scheme of having Chiana fight in amateur ring matches, that featured only females as contestants. Both the Nebari and the Hynerian had eventually convinced him that Chiana had the necessary skills and experience to win a few bouts against amateur opponents that fought with rules, and only for sport and entertainment.

He was only supposed to be along as insurance that the game promoters would pay off any won wagers instead of welching.

Rygel looked around them apprehensively to see if anyone had overheard the Shrike's nearly hissed statement about the cheat.

"Shhhh!" he warned, "Keep your farbing voice down. Do you want us to get caught?"

"Who else is in on this?" Berret than asked.

"Including you?"

The Shrike gave the Hynerian a hard shake. Rygel immediately crossed him off his list of accomplices.

"Just me and Chiana," he corrected. "… And some nurfer I had lay some ghost wagers for me."

Berret uttered a string of Scarran curse words that Rygel had never heard before.

"Its too late to do anything about it but see it through," the Dominar told the assassin. "As long as Chiana loses the fight, we'll be okay."

Something about the way Rygel had offered that condolence struck Berret as strange.

"What else are you not telling me," he said with another quick shake.

"ARG!" Rygel croaked. "Put me back in my chair… and I'll tell you. People are going to notice you manhandling me in another few microts… and then everything will be lost."

Reluctantly Berret set him down. He waited a moment while Rygel arranged himself.

"I am waiting," he said, crossing his metal clad forearms in front of him.

"Don't get you mivonks in an uproar now…"

"Rygel!" Berret hissed.

"Okay! You remember those counterfeit crandar credits I had left over from the slave scam? The extra I didn't have transferred over to local Quid chips… before I started counterfeiting them as well?"

Berret felt the blood drain from his face just then.

"You did not!"

"Well, it was the only thing we had to wager with… and I had a lot of them…" the Hynerian ruler went on.

"Just how much?" Berret asked with growing dread.

"Ummm… just a few thousand crandar worth."

"A few thousand!" Berret exclaimed.

"The odds were only two-to-one against the monochromed tramp," Rygel offered as if that would make everything all right. "I had to place a large wager!"

Berret bent down to his level, this time it was the Shrike who was looking around apprehensively to see if anyone could overhear then.

"Do you have any idea of what you've done?" he hissed at the smaller being. "This is a satellite Syndicate operation, not some secluded back-planet tariff outfit. They will be using chip verifiers here."

"They do?" Rygel asked, the surprise plain on his face.

"Yes," Berret confirmed. "And as soon as the scan one of your chips they will know it for the fake it is."

Rygel swallowed hard again and began to sweat. "Then we better hope that Chiana loses this round. They'll give my original wager back before looking at them to closely, along with my winnings."

Berret looked at him like he was contemplating strangling the Dominar right there.

Just then the official called for the bout to start again as he helped the other fighter to her feet. Chiana got up from her spot in the corner and pranced out to meet the pair.

"Look… there's still a chance. The match is still on," Rygel pointed out. "All Chiana has to do is follow the plan."

The taller woman gave the Nebari a mean scowl, obviously not at all happy with the last turn of events inside the ring. Berret read more than a promise of payback on her rough features. The crowd saw it also, and was now split between the women. Just as many now cheered for the small gray girl as there were for the more experienced fighter. The bigger combatant pointed a finger at Chiana and snarled something the Shrike couldn't make out over the audience's ramble, but he was sure whatever she had said – it wasn't good.

Chiana however, responded to the tirade with her trademark smirk. She was in her favorite element… creating trouble and causing chaos.

"Not a chance of that," the ex-Enforcer remarked to the Hynerian beside him just as the gong sounded again.


	3. Chapter 2

The other woman was mad and no longer cared much about following the match rules too closely, and she tried to take Chiana's head off even before the sound of the gong had faded. The thief easily bobbed her head out of the punch's path, and then using her body's spring-like ability, she weaved back in and landed her own counter punch to the side of the woman's head.

Berret saw the mistake immediately as Chiana backed off, slightly shaking the hand she used to strike with. He had told her countless times never to strike the sides of a humanoid's skull with your fist – no matter how tempting a target it was. The bone was too thick there on most species, and you were more likely to break your hand then hurt the other person. As was the case now, as the blow only seemed to annoy her opponent for the most part.

Luckily this time, Chiana also seemed to have re-learned the lesson without breaking her limb.

The tall woman roared at Chiana and sprang in with a long front straight kick aimed at the gray fighter's bare stomach. The Nebari avoided it by tossing herself to one side and cartwheeling away… much to the crowd's awe.

"What…?" Rygel sputtered. "What the great Yak! That would have been the perfect time!" His small hands came up and braced his cheeks in frustrated bewilderment. "What wrong with her? Why isn't she sticking to the plan?"

"Because you both miscalculated. That is why," Berret retorted darkly.

"Miscalculated what?" the Dominar asked stiffly. "It was a perfect plan. All she has to do is play dead. She's done it a million times before… every time her pasty white eema was on the line, she's conned or tricked her way out of it. Why should now of all times be different?"

"Those were true life or death situations," the Shrike said.

"So?"

"This is little more than a game."

"Again, so what?" Rygel added with growing annoyance.

Berret almost smiled despite the direness of the situation.

"You both forget… Chiana can be competitive," he finally revealed.

"And that means all dren what, you nik-nik?" Rygel grumbled snidely. "Slippery britches up there will cheat with the best of them. And if cheating doesn't work, she'd flash her Voombas to distract her opponents, or make promises she has no intention of keeping."

"That works mostly against her male antagonists," the ex-assassin clarified.

"Are you going to make frelling sense of this? Or is it you just like to hear yourself talk?" Rygel finally blurted out at the Shrike.

"She's in the ring with another female," Berret said.

"And…?"

"There's no way Chiana can bring herself to let her win this contest."

Rygel's eyes grew big as saucers as he realized the tall Shrike had pegged the Nebari right. As deceptive, conniving, underhanded, and morally ruthless as Chiana could be… there was no way he could see her willingly throwing a brawl with another female once that slaps started flying.

It just wasn't in the young Nebari.

"Yotz!" was all he said as it all sank in.

"This is not good," Rygel said a moment later.

"I already told you that," Berret replied.

The Hynerian looked around franticly and then started searching his person.

"Where is that forfeit flag?" he asked himself. "If I throw it in now, we can forfeit and slip out in the crowd before they discover the credits are fake."

"You tossed it into the trash receptacle in the gamers' locker room," the Enforcer reminded him. "You said you didn't need it."

"Dren!" the Hynerian ruler swore. "What do we do?"

"Hope she comes to her senses and does what you planned on," said Berret.

"We're frelled," Rygel moaned.

"I have been saying that also," the Shrike added.

Inside the ring, both women had closed and were now trading punches in earnest. The crowed was cheering madly, as Rygel groaned beside the tall ex-assassin.

Berret was praying to Zhaan's goddess that Chiana would follow through with the scheme and throw the fight, but despite himself, each time the gray girl score a descent hit on her opponent, he found himself caught up and cheering for her.

However, not everyone was rooting for the Nebari. On the opposite side of him from Rygel, a large half-drunken brute of a man was bellowing loudly for the other fighter. That was to be expected and should have been ignored. Making it hard was the fact that when the man wasn't wobbling into Berret, he occasionally spilled part of his big mug in his direction. Topping that off, the big man was also prone to slapping spectator's next time him on the back or shoulders whenever his favorite fighter scored a good hit – regardless if they were also cheering for the same fighter or not.

There was a surge of quickly traded blows in the ring, and the bigger woman got one inside Chiana's guard that dropped her to one knee on the mats. Berret felt his stomach turn with worry for the small Nebari, just as the drunk next to him slammed him several times on the back in enthusiasm for his favorite fighter.

He then dropped his huge mug of stinking ale to the floor and placed both meaty hands to his mouth to amplify his bellow to the larger combatant to rip a part of Chiana's anatomy off that would prevent her from having children in the future.

Berret's mood turned from worry to sour in a heartbeat. Without thinking about it, the Shrike balled the fist on the near side of the drunk and pounded it like a hammer into the intoxicated fellow's own neither-region. The drunk's encouraging yell cut off in mid-sentence and he buckled forward with his eyes swimming… only to run into the Shrike's returning back-fist as it slammed into his mouth.

The drunkard's upper torso shot upwards and then keeled over backwards. Berret saw teeth fly in several directions out of the corner of his eyes as the man hit the ground, out cold. The Shrike's own eyes widened in surprised as he realized that he's reacted without thinking about it. It had all happened in a blink of an eye thanks to his microbe augmentation. He quickly tucked his arms under his cloaked again and adjusted it.

He nonchalantly turned along with the rest of the near-by spectators to regard the prone man doing his best to keep a look of bewildered innocence on his own features. A few of the other patrons traded questioning looks with him, and he shrugged as if he had no clue as to what had happened to the annoying man.

Apparently, with the bout going on, nobody else had seen what happened, or they just didn't care, because they all lost interest in the unconscious drunk within a microt or two and went back to watching the exciting fight in the ring.

In the ring, Chiana's eyes hardened and her lips turned into a nasty grimace.

"Oh no…" Rygel moaned in growing despair as he recognized the look the Nebari wore.

Berret shook his head slightly in response.

"She is grissed off now," was all he said.

The bigger fighter danced in to deliver a blow aimed at the still kneeling girl's head. Chiana let her come in, and at the last moment diverted the straight-punch meant to take her out of the bout with a rising forearm block.

"No!" the Hynerian wailed. "That would have been the ideal moment to throw the match! She let another opportunity slip by!" he hissed in disbelief as the punch soared over the gray girl's white locks.

Chiana retaliated with a flurry of quick rabbit punches to the other woman's lower ribs, making the fighter bend over in her direction. She followed that with a spear-hand strike into her opponent's solar plexus. As she spring back to her feet, she added the momentum into a palm-heel blow that pistoned into the other woman's nose, rocking her head back backward and knocking her near senseless.

The Nebari bounced on the balls of her feet for a few microts, sizing up her opponent's condition, and then she voiced her thrill battle cry before leaping into the air in a spinning heel kick.

The young thief's foot caught the other fighter full in the jaw and drove her into the mats, where she laid unmoving.

Chiana had knocked the other woman out cold, and the crowd roared its approval. The Nebari dance inside the ring in jubilation for several microts, basking in the audience's appreciation, then her pretty face fell as she realized that in her enthusiasm, she had let the plan fall apart.

"Frell! Frell! Frell!" the Dominar swore over and over again. Berret scowled deeply, knowing things were about to blow up on them all. Chiana looked at Rygel for a cue as to what to do next, as the ring official held up her arm and pronounced her the winner of the bout.

The Hynerian signaled her to leave the ring as fast as she could and to join them.

"We have to get the yotz out of here," Rygel said, as Chiana started to make her way from the ring while trying to appear as if she wasn't really in a hurry.

"For once I agree with you," replied Berret, his eyes joining Rygel's in searching, as they tried to identify the quickest route out of the building.

Chiana fended off a series of congratulations from fans as she pushed her way through the audience to meet her crewmates.

"We gotta go," she said as she joined them.

"As usual, you are the master of understatement," Rygel heatedly. "That way… toward the front door. The crowds are thicker there and we'll be harder to spot. Just move calmly in that direction."

He sent his Hoverthrone in that route, while the Nebari and the tall Shrike followed in his path.

"A moment, Lord Shrike!" called a loud voice behind the trio as they headed for the main entrance way. Berret turned to see the Headmaster and the stocky pit boss rushing up behind them, followed closely by a small armed group of their men. Turning quickly back again, he saw the doorway filling with a number of other workers… all of them large, and all of them with a weapon of some type in their hands as well.

"Mega-yotz!" hissed Rygel lowly, at the same instant Chiana spat a low, "Frell!" as the pair realized their new predicament.

Berret didn't bother cursing, and instead put on his best Syndicate Enforcer face in a bid to bluff their way out.

"Yes?" he asked almost tonelessly, adding in a touch of clear annoyance for effect as the two men in charge came to a halt before him.

"There is a matter of concern with the currency your master's guest used to place some wagers… against his own fighter it would seem," the Headmaster told him. One of his men thrust forward another person that Berret had never seen before. Rygel's second uttered low curse told Berret it was the mark the Hynerian had used to place his shadow bets. "It appears that nearly all of the credits were counterfeit! We also discovered his accomplice attempting to leave discreetly with the Hynerian's wager chits, and he revealed the entire story with only some minor encouragement. "

"Really?" was all Berret could think to say at the moment. Rygel's accomplice's face showed several examples of the aforementioned encouragement by way of some bruises, that were even now still continuing to deepen.

He crossed his metal clad forearms in front of himself, as if finding it all surprising, and then appearing to consider the news deeply to buy himself more time to think of a way out.

"What! Do you know who I am?" Rygel barked indigently, trying his best to bluff. "I am Ryg…"

"Apparently," Berret broke in harshly, turning on the Hynerian, before Rygel could fully reveal himself, "You are a thief attempting to take advantage of my master's good graces and name, and thereby disgracing my master's High House!"

The Dominar's eyebrows shot upwards in shock, but he remained silent. They had shown up according to his new plan at the games with Chiana in tow as a contestant, claiming to be guests of an obscure Syndicate House, with Berret as his Shrike escort to gain entrance into the games.

"I'm afraid that is so, Lord Shrike," the headmaster said. "What House did you say you represent again?" he asked.

"Uerthu'pen," the ex-assassin replied, choosing a Syndicate member House that was high in the social order, but that mostly kept a low profile on the farther sides of Scarran space.

"Ah… High Lord Min'Nowes House," the headman added with a smile.

Berret smiled cruelly back in return.

"Seerha-Lord Zazcuun," the Shrike corrected, and then his light smile died to be replaced with a hard glare. "And you would do well to never forget my master's name again. I will not be so forgiving if you dishonor her position and title again."

The Headmaster own smiled dropped and he swallowed hard. It had been a risky test to see if the Shrike was really whom he claimed to be, and the man suddenly had the feeling he might have taken too big a chance and seriously offended the assassin while trying to determine if he were part of the scam the Hynerian was attempting.

It was never a good or wise move to annoy a high-ranking Enforcer within the vast Scarran criminal organization, if one wanted to live a long life span. It was even more foolish to slight or dishonor one of the High Houses by mistake let alone on purpose. Many of their agents would kill without hesitation for such an offense and none of the ruling class would blink an eye over it… as long as the offending party learned that one last final lesson.

"Of course, my Lord Shrike. Please forgive my forgetfulness. We rarely have the honor of dealing with the upper caste way out here in the far reaches of the Imperium. And our etiquette often becomes very rusty from long disuse," the headman apologized, hoping it would be enough to appease the assassin and save his life within the next few microts. "I will dispose of these two so your Master doesn't have to concern herself with their likes. The matter of their trickery will never be mentioned again, so please assure your Mistress that her House's reputation is completely in tact."

He signaled his men, and four of them quickly seized both Rygel and Chiana before Berret could say anything. Rygel gasped in horror and Chiana began to struggle against her larger attackers to no avail.

"Wait!" Berret broke in, perhaps a bit too eagerly. The pit boss narrowed his pig-like eyes in new suspicion, then abruptly step forward and grabbed Berret's forearm as if he thought the Shrike might turn and flee at any microt.

"Maybe the Shrike is in on the scam as well," he told his leader bluntly.

Berret reacted as a true Syndicate Enforcer would have, and without thinking reached down to pry the man's fingers from his arm, once freed, Berret applied his microbe-augmented strength and crushed the pit boss's finger in his hand.

The sharp snap of cracking bones was clearly heard above then din of the ring match now going on behind them, accompanied by the man's sudden squeal of agony.

"You fool!" the headmaster screamed at the pit boss as Berret finally released his mangled limb. "You know better than to lay a hand on an agent of a High House! You're lucky the Lord Shrike didn't just simply kill you for your impertinence."

The headman turned back to Berret and bowed his head apologetically.

"Please do not concern yourself further with his transgression. I will end his life myself if you desire it, Lord Enforcer. Please also accept my apologizes for my underlings behavior and uncouth manners."

"No need," Berret said dismissively, with his voice as toneless as ever. "I am not so prideful that you need to eradicate your help for every small indiscretion."

"Thank you," replied the headman, then turning to his pit boss. "Get out of my sight and see to your hand. You are even less use to me maimed, as well as stupid."

The injured man left quickly; glad to be away from the tall Shrike as well as from his now angry leader.

"Now what were you going to say before the… _interruption_?" the Headmaster asked.

Berret indicated that he wished to discuss the matter in a little bit more privacy, and the other man joined him as they walked a little ways from the gathered crowd of people, and the captured Hynerian and Nebari.

"He'll get us out of this," Chiana whispered to Rygel.

"Don't bet on it," Rygel countered. "He's not that smart."

They both turned back to watch Berret talking lowly with the Headman, and wondered how much longer they both had to live.


	4. Chapter 3

"Is there a problem, Lord?" the Headman asked once they were alone. "I assure you, our scans discovered the credits to be false. I can show you the proof if you wish to confirm the findings yourself."

"I do not doubt you're termination. I am sure you know your appointed tasks quite well," Berret replied, and the rare compliment seemed to make the game organizer relax a bit. "That is not the issue I have with you disposing of them."

"Then what is, my Lord?"

Berret frowned deeply, as if considering how much he would explain to a person that was clearly an underling, and far below himself within the Syndicate sometimes complicated structure.

"The issue is… that my master finds the Hynerian… entertaining."

"Entertaining?" the other man repeated with some confusion, as if he had not heard the assassin correctly.

"Yes. Regrettably, this is not the first time that he has attempted some lame-brained scheme," Berret continued, as if not sure how much detail he should be giving the man into his master's pursuits. "My Mistress finds his plans, and more often than not, the unexpected results when they go wrong, amusing. You can well imagine the position of Overseer of a High House is very demanding, and somewhat – stressful at times… especially for a High Lord of her gender in a mostly male ruled establishment. She would be very _displeased_ if the Hynerian's occasional distractions were taken away from her."

"I understand," said the headman. Knowing better than to directly comment on what the Overseers of the Syndicate Houses found entertaining too deeply. "He is like a… court jester of the old times."

"Exactly. My master has been vaguely curious as to what he planned on doing with a Nebari kitchen maid who had a inclination for brawling in the servants quarters, thus she allowed him to take her for supposed training as an amateur fighter when he presented her with the notion."

"Kitchen maid?" the other man said in bewilderment as he tossed a quick gaze in Chiana's direction. "I would have thought that one would be better as a pleasure slave rather that a scullery servant?"

"She likes to bite…things off, among some other worse bad habits."

The Headman visibly winced as Berret made the comment, spurring him on.

"Her appearance is the only pleasing thing about her, she's quite malicious really, one guard tried to have his way with her one night and we found him babbling in the corner of her room the following morning. Not a mark on him, but the man was never the same again, always crying like a baby. We eventually had to _retire_ him early."

The headman swallowed hard, as the exact meaning of the word "retire" registered on him. He stole another glance at Chiana, wondering what she could have possibly done to a Syndicate guard to leave him in such a condition.

"It was for the best really," Berret continued on, when he seen the other man's discomfort with the fate of the imagined guard. "Many of our personal have had odd, unpleasant experiences with her, " the Shrike quickly added almost sheepishly – as if he personally might have learned about the girl's personality the hard way. "But she was much too expensive to simply get no use out of… so she was set to toil in the kitchens where no one important had to deal with her."

"Ah!" the headman exclaimed. "A pity that!" But he now looked at Chiana with a new deep hint of wariness in his eyes.

"You would think so," Berret agreed. "To return to the matter at hand… exactly how much did they attempt to scam the game for?"

"Just over ten thousand crandar, my Lord," the Headmaster informed him immediately.

Berret cursed inwardly. That was a considerably greater amount than the 'few thousand' Rygel had earlier admitted too.

"I see," the ex-assassin said out loud. "That is a great deal more than he usually tries to get away with," he had to admit to stay in character.

"You see my problem then, Lord Shrike?" the man asked.

"Indeed, but eradicating them is not an option as I explained," Berret continued.

The Headman looked uncomfortable, this was going to be the sticky part Berret knew.

"I completely understand, but how are we to handle this, Lord Enforcer?" he asked, laying the problem solely at Berret's feet. "We cannot simply let it go. If word got out that our operation could so easily be compromised without consequences… we would have any number of other nurfers attempting to take advantage of us."

The Shrike thought furiously for a moment, then asked.

"How much of the counterfeit currency have you recovered so far?"

"Just under the five thousand crandar mark."

"And what would the grade of the copies be… in your professional judgment?" the assassin asked.

The Headman thought it over for a few microts.

"Surprisingly good, probably a grade six – detectible only with scanners" he estimated.

"What if you kept the counterfeit credits you have? Do you have an source to outlet them into other ventures?" Berret asked.

The other man considered it. "That may be possible to shift them into other markets of our operation, but that would cover only half of what they tried to steal from us."

Berret smiled tightly.

"What if also the Hynerian was made to instruct some of your people on how to construct more of those counterfeits on their own? You could continue producing them for your satellite outfit on your own until they become detectable on the open markets. That shouldn't be for at least half-a-cycle before that occurs."

The game runner narrowed his eyes shrewdly at the assassin.

"You could vouch that your master would allow this? Technically his skill and the knowledge would belong to her House."

"Currency forgery is not one of our Houses chosen venues. She would not care and would rather have the Hynerian and the slave returned to her relatively intact. She also understands the requirement of some form of restitution for his scheme."

The other man smiled.

"Done, my Lord, we have an agreement. I will release them into your custody to return to your Mistress," he said extending his arm to grip Berret's forearm to seal the deal.

Berret sighted inwardly in relief, the operation master was more than satisfied with the resolution to the incident. There would be no need for it to go further up the Syndicate chain of command, thus escaping notice of anyone who might be looking for the crew… and him in particular.

Having averted the danger to his shipmates. He spared a glance at the pair still being held by the Headmaster's men, and Rygel shot him a look that clearly said he expected Berret to fail in his negotiations for their freedom and lives.

Surprisingly, Chiana had a similar look that she expected him not to succeed.

Berret suddenly found himself becoming annoyed with his friends. It was their fault with their wild schemes that they had gotten into the situation, and now they had the nerve to show no faith at all in him to get them out.

The ex-assassin's looked soured for a split instant, and then he allowed a crooked grin to grace his features. It was about time he taught his mischievous crewmates a lesson of his own. And perhaps put them off these wild get-rich-schemes… if not forever, at least for a long while.

It would give him some peace for a bit.

"One moment," he said before the Headmaster could release his grip on the assassin's armor-shod forearm. "We have settled the debt their trickery has caused… but not address the issue of their… punishment for attempting it."

The Headman blinked at him.

"I had thought your Mistress would see to punishing them?"

Berret shook his head. His friend's safety was now guaranteed, but they weren't aware of that. Perhaps it would be a very good time to throw a scare into them, he thought again, and liking the idea more.

"I believe she would find more amusement in the story if we could think up a more fitting punishment for them here. Surely you could think of something fitting their crime that won't harm them… but that will be satisfactorily amusing as well?" Berret asked with an up-raised eyebrow.

A few moments later, Berret broke away from the headmaster and headed back toward his crewmates, while the headmaster turned to several of his employees and obviously began issues some type of orders they weren't able to hear.

"That's it… we're dead. That farble-headed Shrike of yours frelled things up and he's the only one of us walking out of here," Rygel told the girl beside him.

"Be quiet! We don't know anything yet," Chiana snarled at him. She looked up and smiled hopefully at the Shrike, despite his grim look, as he came within speaking range of them.

"I have bad news," he began, and Chiana's smiled died. "They're angry…"

"No flectsum!" sneered Rygel. "Tell us something we can't see for ourselves!"

"What are they gonna do with us?" Chiana asked with a hint of panic growing in her tone.

Berret's face turned dire serious.

"I'm afraid it's not good…"

"I knew it… they're going to kill us slowly," Rygel added.

"Far worse than that I'm afraid," the Shrike countered.

"What can be worse than that?" snapped Chiana.

"Well, I was able to bargain your _ten thousand crandar_ debt away by allowing them to keep the fakes you use to place wagers with," Berret explained, stressing the amount of currency they tried to swindle and lied to him about. "Plus you, Rygel, also have to instruct them on how you made them, so they can produce the counterfeits themselves to account for the rest of your debt."

"What!" barked the Hynerian. "Then they'll be able to flood the markets with them. That will make my own copies worthless within a few weeken."

"The alternative is that they skin you alive and roll you in salt… and then they will do something really unpleasant to you," Berret told him.

The Dominar gulped audibly at that. "Ah… point taken," he conceded wisely.

"Well… that takes care of that, right?" asked Chiana hopefully.

"The wager debt, yes," the Shrike said. "However… I was unable to talk them out of the necessity to punish you both, as an example to others who would try the same thing."

"So they are going to kill us anyway," asked Rygel

"No, not that," furnished Berret.

"They're gonna… cut something … off?" the Nebari girl inquired with a squeak. "I can't have that! I need my hands! And my feet… I need both my feet… and my hands!"

"They did in fact mention that as a possibility," the ex-Enforcer said.

"Frell your hands and feet, you selfish pasty wench! I need other things if I'm to regain my throne and produce prodigy to follow me!"

"Fortunately, they seem to think the idea of searching for those parts of your anatomy repulsive when it was suggested, Rygel," Berret put in. "However, they decided to forgo physical maiming in favor of another punishment."

"The what the yotz have they decided?" the Hynerian spat. "Stop frelling around and tell us what's going to happen?"

Berret blinked his eyes, in an uncharacteristically innocent way. Both Chiana and Rygel's warning antenna went up.

"They have chosen a task for you to perform as punishment instead," the Shrike revealed, "As a favor to my factious "master".

"A… task?" repeated Chiana.

"Well… more a chore, really," Berret corrected.

"What sort of chore?" asked Rygel suspiciously?

Berret almost smiled, but barely managed to keep it off his face.

"Waste holding bay maintenance."

"What?" exclaimed Chiana.

"You have to be joking," Rygel cried. "I'd rather they just kill me."

Berret grimly shook his head. "No," he said, "They want you to go down and clean the main holding bay below the arena."

"The sewers!" Chiana cried.

"No… more like a rather large septic tank," the Shrike explained. "You'll have to be careful and dodge the occasion release as they wouldn't be able to shut it completely down while you're working there."

The Nebari pulled a sour face, "Oh my goddess!" she said sickly.

"No, no way, no how," growled Rygel. "A Dominar does not perform manual labor… and certainly not waist deep in dren!"

Berret waved the smaller being off.

"You have no choice," he said. "I agreed to the conditions to save your lives. It should only take you two solar days if you do not dally."

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Chiana moaned.

"You bastard!" Rygel nearly shouted. "You arranged this to get even with me for being smarter than you, and being able to pull these ingenious plans off… while you're stuck riding on my coattails to success!"

"Honestly, I did the best I could for you, Rygel," Berret replied almost sincerely.

"And what the hezmana will you be doing for two days while we toil up to our necks in alien dreck and dren? Probably _not_ planning our escape, I'll wager," Rygel demanded to know.

"Me?" Berret replied, again with the fictitious innocence. "Oh… Kellum, that's the headmaster's name by the way, has graciously arranged for me to stay in the VIP suites at Club TransLucidad free of charge while I wait for you two to complete your punishment task. It seems the club is part of the operation here. I hear it's very nice. I can use the vacation really. I assure you, I will be back in two days to retrieve you both."

Chiana's face just dropped, as she was struck speechless. Rygel had no such problem as Kellum's men started dragging them away to their unpleasant fate.

"Damn you, Shrike!" Rygel yelled as he was pulled along. "I'll get even with you if it takes to my dying day! There will consequences! Consequences and… repercussions! Do you hear me? I said consequences and repercussions!"

Rygel's voice faded away just as he was yelling at his captor to release him.

Berret paused, and let the silent peacefulness wash over him for a moment. Realizing he actually did need a break from his scheming shipmates, and a few days to himself might be good for him.

Chiana was going to be upset with him… well, let's face it; she was going to be really, _really_ angry with him for a while. But evidentially she would see that perhaps she and Rygel had brought it upon themselves with their constant get-rich-quick scams that they constantly dragged him into. Doing damage control for the pair of them was stressful… even for an augmented Shrike Enforcer.

The Nebari would eventually forgive him, and most likely with her twisted sense of humor would laugh about the incident sometime in the future.

Rygel on the other hand, was going to take a whole different kind of eema-kissing before things were squared with the Hynerian.

But that was a problem for later. Right now he had two whole days of peace and relaxation… with nobody at all trying to drag him into some outrageous plan to bilk someone else out of a small fortune in credits

He might as well enjoy the time while he can, eventually the dreadful duo would drag him into some other venture that would likely blow up in their faces just the same.

Berret smiled a rare true smile… sitting by the beach and reading a good story text, sounded extremely pleasing at the moment.

Yes… it sounded very appealing.


End file.
